EVENTS
2016/05/27; PRESS CONFERENCE; VIENNA; AUSTRIA
EXPERTOCRACY, MEDIACRACY OR DEMOCRACY?
Who controls government, politics and public opinion in our ‘advanced’ democracies?
The “crisis of democracy” is becoming every day more evident. Trust in political institutions and electoral participation is plummeting rapidely, political parties are losing their members and demagogues are becoming increasingly popular. Democratically non legitimaced private actors, experts and media conglomerates gain increasingly power and influence. More and more political decisions are transferred from traditional decision-making entities to ‘expert groups’, often negotiating and deciding in secret. Are we witnessing a more or less veiled transformation from our democracies toward expertocracies and mediacracies?
Within the framework of a cooperation between the “Institute for Global Law and Policy” at Harvard Law School (IGLP) http://iglp.law.harvard.edu and “Worldpeace International” Prof. David Kennedy and Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein disscused these questions among others also on the two examples of the US presidential primaries and the ever more heated propaganda war between the ‘free world’ and North Korea.
2016/04/30-2016/05/06; EVENT SERIES; NORTH KOREA
“Bridges – Dialogues Towards a Culture of Peace” Events Series in North Korea 2016
„Worldpeace International“ and the „International Peace Foundation“ organised a program in North Korea to facilitate scientific exchange between three nobel laureats and local universities. During their trip from April 30 to May 6 2016, the Nobel prize winners (Britain’s Richard Roberts who won the 1993 prize for physiology and medicine; Norwegian Finn Kydland for economics in 2004; and Israel’s Aaron Ciechanover for chemistry in 2004) gave lectures and hold seminars at the three most prestigious schools of the country – Kim Il-sung University, Kimchaek University of Technology and Pyongyang University of Science and Technology. The special program is held under the title “Bridges – The Dialogues Towards a Culture of Peace”, which has been striving to initiate a sharing of ideas and discussions. Branded a “pariah state” by the West for its authoritarian rule and defiant pursuit of nuclear weapons, North Korea was not going to change simply because of a single visit by Nobel prize winners. But the trio believed that being there and sitting down to talk with students and academics would be a worthwhile attempt at engaging the new generation of North Koreans about the outside world. “We came here for a mission. We came here to plant the seeds of peace through science, technology and communication,” Aaron Ciechanover sais, after speaking to students at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology.
2015/08/30 VISIT & CEREMONY; AUSTRIA
Visit of Swami Maheshwarananda – founder of the worldwide practised system: „Yoga in daily life“ – at Almdorf Seinerzeit
Swami Maheshwarananda – simply known as Swamiji – founded the scientific System „Yoga in Daily Life“ to help people on their personal and spiritual path. It is a holistic scientific system for the body, mind, consciousness and soul. Yogic exercises are so called psychosomatic movements which can be adapted to any individual. „Yoga in daily life“ has thousands of centers around the world, organised in a non-profit way, to learn and to teach the correct way of the very old YOGA coming from ancient yogic scriptures. The main points of Swamiji’s teachings are physical, mental, social and spiritual health; respect for life; tolerance for all religions, cultures and nationalities; world peace; protection of human rights and values; protection of the environment and preservation of nature; selfless service, and care and love for all living things. According to his teachings, the realisation of these fundamental principles of life will lead man to spiritual development and self-realization. Worldpeace International invited Swamiji to visit Almdorf Seinerzeit. In a little guided tour he went to see all aspects of the new established mountain village and created a ceremony to bless the region and the people living here.
